How to explain furry to people?

[Randall]

So yesterday I tried to explain to a colleague at work what it means to be furry?

Obviously he thought I was totally weird and now thinks I am insane. So this got me thinking.

How do you explain this to people best, so they understand what you are, and don't think you're a freak or a pedo?

Any ideas?

[Helios_phi]

Eh, we've done this before.
There is nothing to explain.
Peeps should break away from the need to 'be' a furry.
We're all just normal people who happen to enjoy artwork that features anthro animals.
Nothing weird about liking teenage girls.... whoops, I meant teenage mutant ninja turtles.

[Franky]

Fans of cartoon animals.

And yes people will think it is weird cause it is quirky and childish. The best is to just try be a likable or funny person so that people link it to something positive.

[Randall]

Well yes, as you know I am a very big fan of the blue anthro hedgehog, and indeed people identify with me about it, but, yeah, the moment you say something along the lines of fursuits etc.. they go all weird.

The conversation arised because I often do office memes with Sonic saying really funny stuff...

[Ryall]

EDIT: I was writing this this post when there were still no replies. Had to tend to some work along the way so it took me a while. Sorry if I have not updated it with reference to the comments made after the OP.


Hello Sonic.

I try to make it sound as mundane and familiar as possible.

I tell people that it's a group for gaming, movie, art, and other entertainment media enthusiasts who think that anthropomorphic characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Rocket Raccoon, the dragons from How To Train Your Pet Dragon, and Worgen and Tauren from World of Warcraft "are cool."

When asked what furries do, tell them that they generally just discuss games, movies, books and series which feature those characters in them, create their own characters, make fan art, and generally just socialize like most hobby or enthusiast groups would. If you're feeling confident, tell that some people will even dress up in costumes, just like Star Wars fans would.

The key is to keep your explanation familiar as possible. If you reference characters or media which they are familiar with, and compare it to fandoms which they are familiar with - such as trekkies, Star Wars fans, anime fans etc. - then it will seem less foreign and strange to them, and they will be more accepting of it. Take it slow, and hide your excitement when explaining it to them. Rather your friends think you are boring than an insane freak or pedo.

You can always introduce them in incremental stages to the full oddity of the fandom (like fursona making, fursuiting and conventions) at a later stage if they are still interested.

I would avoid telling colleagues about it though: nobody at work needs to know. Rather talk about your other interests and hobbies at work.

[Franky]

It's cause for some furries wearing fursuits makes them feel comfortable or something weird like that. And it's the worst description ever. It points peoples heads into the direction that it's some kind of different mindset. Different is the key word here that immediately introduces a negative idea.

These ideas primarily include Social Anxiety. Hence thinking that furries are social rejects.

The truth however is that most fursuiters only wear the thing during a convention or get together where they can actually be entertainers for people to see.

It's not easy cause it's new to them. But this is also really important for the furry that is explaining to understand.

[Randall]

Good points taken.

I only mentioned it because I was asked about Sonic, and why I seem to be so into Sonic, by one person at work.

[Sev]

My mother still thinks that we're all a bunch of oversexualized freaks.

The only advice that I can really give is try and underplay the whole thing.
I can't see the benefit in trying to familiarize people with it, and in extreme cases you risk being ostracized.

What's being a furry all about? Zootopia.

[Randall]

My mother still thinks I am childish and I have regressed into childhood.

I have been isolated, alone, and felt very estranged at times. Had I known the forum was around since '08 I think things would have been pretty different for me, but the main thing is, that thread on MyBroadband, that Inpw started, it led me here. That was an awesome idea to get those of us who didn't know about this place, to come over.

By my nature I am a proud person, so sometimes I feel the compelling need to tell people stuff to understand me better.

[Franky]

My furryness is a running gag on mybb.co.za but when the real questions fire up in the meets I have to explain to my best potential without confusing anyone. The Tyra Banks show popped up in those conversations and I have to try and not defend. Which is hard when it's the media incident that I despise most. Defense means I'm being offended.

But I don't care if people ask me stuff. I'm honest in this regard. I'm just afraid that the person who rather shouldn't talk decided to be a self proclaimed ambassador for the entire fandom and is just as honest as I am.

I did this vent with the topic included a few weeks ago: http://forum.zafur.co.za/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3559

[Sev]

Link to the thread on MyBroadBand?

[Leeward]

I managed to explain it to a 70-something-year-old lady by saying that we're people who like characters like Bugs Bunny and sometimes like to dress up like them because it's fun to unleash your inner child, and it feels great to turn people's heads with wacky costumes. She laughed and that was it.

[Randall]

I managed to explain it to a 70-something-year-old lady by saying that we're people who like characters like Bugs Bunny and sometimes like to dress up like them because it's fun to unleash your inner child, and it feels great to turn people's heads with wacky costumes. She laughed and that was it.

That's cool. That's a great way of handling it. Will keep that in mind...

[Franky]

Link to the thread on MyBroadBand?

Donno which one you want but here's the first one:

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread. ... sk-a-Furry!

Since then all sort of madness happened including 3 mybb meets.

[Faanvolla]

Back when I joined my mother asked what the forum is about, and I just told her its for people who like characters like Ratchet from R&C, or bugs bunny or such and she's never bothered me about it since, even when I told her I'm meeting people from here. Was lucky in that regard.

[Randall]

My wife is happy I found this place?
Why? Because at least then I am not driving her mad with Sonic. Remember, my son and I play together, a lot of that is rping, and general silliness with Sonic, Toothless the Dragon, you name it.

She also states that because I isolate myself so much from others with similar interests, I am very poor in the social skills department at times, I cannot really talk to people sometimes. Remember that in high school I was found out to be a furry, and they used that in every way imaginable to discredit me and ram me into the ground. Back then I was a racoon, until Sonic was created.

My opinion on fursuits are that its great to go to a con dressed up as your fursona. That is what it is for me. I like RPing very much, because that's what I have been doing for years and years, and I also like the artistic side as well as the literary side. I also like anime, but that's not relevant to this forum.

Sonic The Hedgehog exposed me to the whole furry world at large. There has been Sonic yiff going back to at least 1995, there's been tons of fanfiction, fan comics, you name it. There's even been crossovers into other animals many of you identify with.

Even on MyBB, before I got banned for reasons unknown, people used to take a stab at my avatar, and my handle.

[Franky]

Ahhh jeez stabbed for a sonic avatar pffft... laraC has a frekin mlp avatar and I stabbed her with this.

[Randall]

LOL...

[Sev]

That was surprisingly boring. Most people took it as a joke, and very few actually asked proper questions.

[Contrast]

How to explain furry to people? DON'T. Being proud of your furriness is all well and good, but letting non-furs find out about it only creates problems.

[rusted hydra]

its easier for me to explain furry...
I just say "I have vivid fantasies about being a dragon/shark/hydra"
and they all go and say something along the lines of "Oh yea it would be cool to be a dragon/shark/hydra"

Though I don't tell them about the sex part or my gender identity

[Sev]

To be honest, the people on this forum who take their "furry-ness" especially seriously tend to annoy the living _ out of me.

*Swooshes his tail*

For the most part, we are perfectly "normal" people who just happen to like cartoon animals. Trying to justify that to other people seems like a waste of effort.

[Randall]

Okay point taken. Its just I get annoyed when people at work try and pry... that's all.

I would venture to say we are extremely smart people, above average intelligence is my experience.

[Franky]

To be honest, the people on this forum who take their "furry-ness" especially seriously tend to annoy the living _ out of me.

Like?

[Randall]

Probably referring to me. Well let's be honest here, man I am excited, for the first time in friggen 5 -10years I find a forum where I am accepted, and the people are nice and I actually really like the folks on the forum. So of course I am going to go a little bit off the rails and be proud etc... etc... Sorry about that, its kind of hard not to be excited these days...

[Leeward]

No I'm pretty sure he meant folks who constantly RP and wear nylon dog collars out in public and such. There's no need to make a spectacle of yourself.

[Sev]

To be honest, the people on this forum who take their "furry-ness" especially seriously tend to annoy the living _ out of me.

Like?

Do you really need me to list them?

Sonic, no, you are not on the list.

[Randall]

Well yeah that is true.
As for how far I go? Well I don't have a fursuit. I would like to make one for conventions but that's all.
I have a few Sonic t-shirts, and that's about it.

But other things, like toys, plushies, well yes, mad about those.

[Tocs]

To be honest, the people on this forum who take their "furry-ness" especially seriously tend to annoy the living _ out of me.

Like?

Do you really need me to list them?

Sonic, no, you are not on the list.

I think he was looking for more examples rather than names

[Sev]

Sev's 4 questions to determine whether or not you belong on his list:

1) Do write thing like "murzie purzie" over every thread?
2) Do you pretend to be your 'sona on this forum? *Swishes his tail*
3) Do you say things like "being a furry is my entire life"?
4) Do you try way too hard to "be" a furry?